The Department of Agriculture is urging the Department of Justice to speed up legal process against the suspects involved in smuggling agricultural products in the country.

Agriculture Undersecretary Fermin Adriano said their agency is coordinating with the DOJ for the prosecution of four suspects involved in smuggling in the country that were named during the Senate hearing.

"We are following up on the prosecution of these people from the Department of Justice. Because in the law, our department does not have the power to apprehend and prosecute. That power is within the Department in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC)," he said.

"We follow up, so that the appropriate caseswill be filed against these people(alleged smugglers)," he added.

During the Senate hearing, Senate President Vicente Sotto III named Manuel Tan, Andrew Chang, and Luz Cruz as alleged vegetable smugglers and Mayor Democrito Diamante of Tuburan town in Cebu province as an alleged smuggler of agri-fishery products.

Adriano also expressed hope that like the DOJ and BOC, the DA will also be given power to apprehend and file cases to further intensify their effort against smuggling.

"We hope that we will also be given the same power so that we can easily process the cases because we are the ones who are there, together with the Bureau of Customs at our ports," he said.

Adriano said the smugglers may face charges under the Republic Act (RA 10845), or the economic sabotage which is "almost an equivalent to plunder case". Robina Asido/DMS